When Sin (in the Church) Becomes Popular

And He (Christ) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect human, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-- Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16

Are you one of these gifts that Christ gave to the church? Is your ministry consistent with God’s purpose for the church? If your ministry is contrary to God's purpose for these gifts, you will be exposed!!! As church leaders, our motivations must be from the spiritual heart of God and not of the carnal mind and sinful nature of humankind. Church leaders must live righteously before God and humankind. Our lives should remain purified from habitual sin. Our lives should reflect the blessings and promises of God not that of tragedy & lack.

If you have sinned against God's church, have you repented? Are you sorry for your misdoings as they really DO displease our Creator? My definition of sin is anything that exalts itself above God and causes spiritual separation from God and His will for our lives. Do God's will and allow the Spirit to lead and guide you with a level-head and uprightness. Psalm 143:10

Repent and be sorry for displeasing God and cease to habitually sin again. Now is the season for repentance as God is calling the church to repent or be exposed openly. As church leaders, God is holding us responsible for the lives we live. Those who engage in below-standards of living should cease making this a popular way of life. Yield your will to God's perfect will and fully live for Christ. Stop deceiving the children of God with your fancy words and false display of holiness. Stop acting humble then resume a low-life position behind the scenes when you THINK no one is watching. Do the right thing even when no one is watching. Really live up to God's standards for wholesome and healthy Christian living. Practice what you preach and not just preach what YOU yourself have no intentions of practicing.

But all things having their true character exposed by the light are made manifest; for that which makes everything manifest is light. Ephesians 5:13

If light is taught in the church, how can a church leader live in darkness. How can a church leader teach light if that leader has chosen to live in darkness??? Some church leaders do not live up to the standards of God. Some church leaders engage in "loose living" only because grace is being used as a parameter to live like 'dogs in heat.'

Just because God gives us grace to live our lives does not mean we take that grace for granted. Paul tell us in Romans 6:14-15

The sad truth about the wayward church leaders is, the communities which these leaders represent, have accepted this way of living as popular. It's popular to live an unrighteous life! Sin has become a sad and trendy popularity contest...the latest but not the greatest fashion. How many bed-partners do you need? How many ways can you steal from the church? How often do you change your character to fit the custom? Since when does perfection becomes abnormal? Are your ethics too low? Do you really love the church or just what the church can give you? How can you lead when you do not follow God's instructions for the church?

News flash…habitual sin is NOT acceptable and pleasing to God.

As spiritual leaders, we must continue to strive to be like Christ and continue to stand for righteousness; even if we stand alone. I'm going to make it personal... " even if I stand alone, I will stand firm."

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…Ephesians 6:13-14

No, I am not judging anyone but making a clear observation of what I have seen in God's house for many years and frankly, it is time for that foolishness to cease. Sure we all make mistakes but should we continue to make the same mistake over and over again? We all have our own crosses to bear and must carry them until the end of our days. Yes - we all stumble and fall but we do not have to stay fallen. Yes - we all make mistakes but we should learn from them and not repeat them. Christ was the only perfect person that walked the face of the earth…..and we are not Him but we should strive to be like Him.

Do I love everyone – YES! Do I like everyone – NO! I do not like the unrighteous. I do not like liars. I do not like thieves. I do not like deceivers. I do not like those who do wrong and know they are doing wrong but somehow justify it with a convincing excuse. I do not like messy folks. I do not like folks who cause confusion. I do not like jealous people. I do not like anything that causes destruction and strife.

Yes, Christ died for all sin for by Christ, our sins were covered by the blood, the ultimate sacrificial lamb who loves us all. We are all sinners saved by GRACE but that does not give us the right to practice sin. Romans 6:14-15

Church leaders must rise to the righteous occasion and cease to live for unrighteousness. Stop lying to the sheep. No more self-titles to impress the church folk. Stop hiding behind the royal looking robes and step up to the Royal Faith in Christ. Stop spiritually cheating the sheep of their freedom to do real work for Christ. God's people are not human puppets but are people with real souls and minds, and with real issues. If you're going to preach, declare the Gospel Message. Stop preaching other people’s tragedies in the pulpit. (That’s not cool) No more robbing the church of its resources for ministry to live extravagant lives. No more shedding of innocent blood for your own self-righteousness and edification. After all, the mature Christians really see who you are and really see the real YOU.

Why do you continue to make a mockery out of God's church??? The House of the Lord is a sacred Temple of worship and not a place to hang out with your buddies when you do not have anything else to do. The church if NOT a venue for the latest ‘trash’ disco show! It's NOT a place to go and be entertained when you're bored. It's a gathering place for Believers. Church is a sacred ground to pray and commune corporately with God, touching and agreeing with followers of Christ on righteous things, and not a place to pick up a "hot date" or find a person to impress. God's Church is NOT a place for public folly of worldly engagements. Stop "playing church" and really be God’s Church. Your title or office in the church should not make you look down on others but calls for teaching and serving one another in love. Worship God but serve one another. Honor God and love each other. Love God with all of who you are. Be the leader, the Christian Leader that God has called you to live.

The gifts that Christ gave to the church is a serious charge and should not be taken lightly. If God has called you to lead at a higher capacity, then lead with high ethics, high morals and high standards. Not to be so far removed or so far ahead that you create a bubble over yourselves and get too far ahead of the people but being the leader you’d want to follow. Would you follow yourself by the ways you live???

As apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers, we are held accountable by God (the only Judge) for the souls we lead to Christ and the one's we cause to stumble and fall...and remain fallen (lost; ungodly living). The bloodshed will be on the hands of those spiritual leaders that aid in the cause of unfortunate yet preventable confusion.

When wrong is made ‘right’ in the church – we have a SERIOUS problem! When habitually practicing wrong becomes your platform of praise, LOOK OUT because God is watching! Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning. 1 Timothy 5:20

God speaks of false prophets in the last days. If there is a continuation of these “false agents" and if the shoe fits -- YOU WILL BE EXPOSED!!! The New Covenant tells us to be beware of false prophets who come disguised [look and act like] harmless sheep but are really vicious [deadly] wolves. We can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act [publicly/privately]. We do not pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles do we??? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions [things they do]. Matthew 7:15-20

God is not going to tolerate [forever] the lack of productivity!!! Ephesians 5:10-11 tells us to carefully determine what pleases the Lord and have nothing to do with fruitless acts of evil but expose them. Verse 13 goes on to state that the evil intentions will be exposed when light is shed on the evil because the light shows everything!

Does your your silence approve of wrongdoings! Do you approve of sin? Is sin popular in your community? In your church? In your workplace? Will you become a "whistle blower", breaking your silence???

Those of us being light ourselves (Ephesians 5:8), by bringing light through reprove of those who are in darkness, will convert them to light. Our consistent lives and faithful reproofs will be our "armor of light" (Romans 13:12) in making an inroad [invasion] on the kingdom of darkness (evil; the Enemy).

When sin becomes popular, who will stand against the evilness that sin promotes??? Perhaps YOU have been chosen for the task….??? Repent or perish...the kingdom of God is near!

-Rev